Thursday, September 24, 2009

OW, MY JOINTS – DIEU DU CIEL’s “RIGOR MORTIS”

The record that Quebec-based brewery BRASSERIE DIEU DU CIEL! is running up right now is pretty impressive. They’ve got the most eye-grabbing labels in the quote-unquote business. They’ve got one of the highest-rated beers on Beer Advocate, PECHE MORTAL. (Which I’ve never seen, by the way, and would love to try). Oh, and this very site has given scores of 7/10 to their ROSEE D’HIBISCUS and 8/10 to their CORNE DU DIABLE. So they’re figuratively hummin’. And yet, would I be serving the public if I lied to you and told you their RIGOR MORTIS ABT was part of this winning streak, when it very clearly is not? No, that’s not the way we roll at the HBJ.

RIGOR MORTIS ABT is sold in a 12-ounce bottle, like all of DIEU DU CIEL’s wares. It’s a dark brown ale that I thought was a dubbel, but I now understand is a quadrupel. Does that means it’s twice as good as I thought it would be? Nay, nay. RIGOR MORTIS ABT is pretty mild in execution. It tastes vaguely of dark, alcohol-soaked fruits, and gave me that dry, cottonmouth feeling when I was drinking it. Not so good. I didn’t think it was ridiculously boozy the way one might when confronted with a 9.5% ABV beer, though I reckon in this day & age that’s “not that much”. It’s really just a mediocre stab at a Belgian brown ale that just fell a little wide of the target, and/or wasn’t experimental or interesting enough to stand by itself in any remarkable manner. 5.5/10.